You and your partner may be one of the 13% of couples that experience infertility, in which case you are aware of the difficulties in managing the disease. Additionally, even though fertility treatments may dramatically boost your chance of getting pregnant, it’s conceivable that weighing your options would just make you feel more stressed.
An overview of the choices, though, could be helpful. Use this introduction to learn the foundations of the most common reproductive treatments. Once you have an idea of what might be suitable for you, click here to read more on the options which you may discuss with your doctor and do additional research to learn more.
Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
During intrauterine insemination (IUI), sperm is introduced into the uterus close to the fallopian tubes using a thin catheter, increasing the chance that the sperm will come into touch with the egg. It comprises injecting sperm from your partner or a donor into your reproductive system during ovulation to assist in conception.
If your ovulation is normal, AI can be administered without the use of any additional reproductive drugs. If you have ovulation issues, IUI combined with fertility medicine may improve your chances of getting pregnant.
Same-sex couples, single women who want to create a family on their own, and couples dealing with low sperm counts and poor sperm motility may all benefit from these therapies. IUI is a good first option for patients with undiagnosed reproductive issues.
Success rates
After six failed tries, up to 40% of women under the age of 40 who utilize AI succeed in getting pregnant. Every effort at IUI has a success percentage that ranges between 5 and 15%.
IUI doesn’t always work, but outside a minor danger of infection, there are no serious risks connected with it. IUI is less likely to be effective in women over the age of 40, those who have fallopian tube blockages, a history of pelvic infections, or those who have significant endometriosis.
(IVF) Artificial conception
In IVF, sperm is utilized at a fertility lab or clinic to fertilize your eggs. One or more ova (fertilized eggs) are then put within your uterus in the hopes that they may grow into a fetus.
Success rates
The success rates for IVF may range from 12 to 70% depending on the age of the mother. You’ll need to have hormone injections, which might have bad side effects, before the eggs can be retrieved for fertilization.
The procedure is invasive, and the possibility of producing twins or multiple children increases with the number of fertilized eggs implanted, which increases the risk for possible complications. Additionally, it could be expensive if not covered by insurance.
Donor eggs
During the process, a donor egg is inserted into your uterus, where it is fertilized with sperm.
The donor might be a relative, a close friend, or someone you were randomly paired with by a clinic.
If you utilize a donor egg, you won’t be the baby’s biological mother, but you will still be listed on official records as the child’s birth mother.
When utilizing fresh donor eggs, success rates range from fifty to seventy percent, while when using frozen donor eggs, success rates range from forty to sixty percent. The donor might be a relative, a close friend, or someone you were randomly paired with by a charity.
Risks or negative effects
Using donor eggs may need a costly and time-consuming procedure. The process of becoming a GC may be quite emotional and take up to 18 months. There are further crucial legal factors to take into account:
It is in the best interests of the parents and surrogates (https://www.yalemedicine.org/conditions/gestational-surrogacy) to have a contract defining issues such as parental rights or custody, in addition to medical treatment throughout pregnancy and labor. Additionally, it’s important to remember that certain governments no longer allow surrogacy, while others do not accept contracts for the procedure. Check your state’s legislation.
Egg freezing
The steps involved in freezing and conserving a woman’s eggs are similar to those involved in IVF. When you’re ready to conceive, the frozen eggs are thawed, fertilized, and placed into the uterus.
Success rates
Although there is limited research available, there is a 5-9% probability that one frozen egg will result in a successful pregnancy for women under the age of 38. The older you are when freezing your eggs, the lower the chance of a successful future fertilization.
Risks or side effects
Because the vast majority of women who freeze their eggs haven’t used them yet, experts don’t know much about how long frozen eggs can be stored. The procedure itself is obtrusive, and you must take fertility drugs, which might have very negative side effects.
Fertility drugs
Fertility drugs are first given out during IVF, however you can take them regularly on your own to trigger ovulation.
Oral drugs like Clomid and letrozole stimulate the ovaries and treat irregular ovulation. Click here to read more on ovulation. Both drugs work by lowering estrogen synthesis, which boosts the production of ovulation-stimulating hormones. If oral medications are unsuccessful, gonadotropin injections, which directly cause ovulation, may be used as a final option.
If polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is what’s causing your irregular ovulation, the drug Metformin may potentially be a possibility. Despite the fact that metformin is frequently used to treat diabetes, it can help women with PCOS have more regular ovulation since it increases insulin levels in the body.
Dangers or negative consequences
You can have unpleasant side effects including bloating, headaches, vomiting, mood swings, or breast tenderness. Hormone injections also carry a negligible risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome, a disorder in which the ovaries expand and ache.
The risk of having multiples can increase with the use of reproductive medicines because multiple eggs may release simultaneously.
If both you and your partner require help getting pregnant, there are a few options. Together, go through the possibilities that seem like a good fit, then speak with your doctor to develop a plan that both of you are at ease with.